Murakami Mitsuteru - 村上 光昭 (born December 1, 1943 - May 22, 2018) was a Japanese professional sumo wrestler from Kaminokuni, Hokkaido. He made his debut in May 1965 and wrestled for Izutsu stable. His highest rank was makushita 13 and he retired in September 1968.
Early Life[]
Mitsuaki Murakami was born on December 1, 1943, in Kaminokuni, Hokkaido. He attended Chuo University where he was a member of the school's sumo club. Murakami excelled in academics and joined Izutsu stable in May 1965 even though he still had a year left until graduation; he had already acquired all the credits and only needed to complete his graduate research. He graduated from Chuo University in March 1966.
Career[]
He made his professional debut in May 1965 and wrestled under his surname "Murakami" (村上). He was granted makushita tsukedashi status due to his amateur background and started out at the bottom of the makushita division. In May 1966, he won the makushita yusho with a perfect 7-0 record and was promoted to a career-best makushita 13 rank. In January 1967, he was given the shikona "Shinko" (神光). He fell down to sandanme for the first time in May 1967, but finished with a strong 6-1 record. He retired from sumo in September 1968.
Retirement from Sumo[]
After retiring, Murakami established "Murakami Industry Co., Ltd." (株式会社 村上工業), a dismantling business in Ishikawa, Chiba. Many of his clients include local governments in Chiba prefecture and school corporations such his alma mater Chuo University.
In his later years, Murakami served as the chairman of the Chuo University sumo club. He died on May 22, 2018, at the age of 74.
Record[]
Division Results[]
- Total: 70-70-7/140 (21 basho)
- Makushita: 64-69-7/133 (20 basho)
- Sandanme: 6-1/7 (1 basho)
Championships[]
- 1 Makushita Championship (May 1966)
Shikona History[]
- Murakami Mitsuteru (1965.05 - 1966.11)
- Shinko Mitsuteru (1967.01 - 1968.09)
Gallery[]
